Chapter 5
Denver
Inarrow my eyes at JJ, and he tuts. “For the last time, I said I was sorry.”
The scoff that leaves my throat says everything. I fold my arms and lean back in my seat on the private jet. There’s only a table between us, and I slam my palm against it when something occurs to me.
“You’re the reason Wilder got away that night he broke into my house!”
“Congratulations on catching up,” Alistair says, his eyes on his phone as he texts. He’s sitting beside JJ, and Taf is next to me.
“I can’t wait to grill Colt over this when he wakes up. He didn’t tell me. Even after we slept together, he didn’t tell me.”
Taf’s gasp is drama worthy. “You mean after he bumped uglies with you, his immediate thought wasn’t to tell you about his best friend being undercover in your house? It’s almost like he was more preoccupied with your boobs.”
Lewis cackles from the seat behind us, and Taf reaches his hand up. They high-five, and I smack them both with my magazine. JJ grins, his gaze lingering on Taf. The two have been sharing lustful glances ever since we got on the plane an hour ago.
“And you two—get a fucking room,” I say, waving my hand between them. “Someone on this plane should be having sex.”
“Who says I’m not having sex?” Lewis asks.
Now I cackle. “Who are you having sex with?”
“I could be having sex,” Lewis mumbles.
I kick Alistair’s leg under the table, and he frowns at me. “Are you having sex?”
“No, he isn’t,” Taf says.
Alistair narrows his eyes at his friend. “And how the hell would you know?”
“Because I have a sixth sense for levels of horniness when it comes to you all,” he says, nodding at Alistair and JJ.
“It’s how I knew Colt was gonna end up with the red devil over here.
” He nudges me and grins. “He came home after that first night in the hotel with her and looked ready to kill or fuck someone.”
My cheeks flush, and I sigh. “I love it when he looks like that.”
“And you,” Taf says, pointing at Alistair. “How long has it been? Six months?” Alistair’s eyes widen, and it’s clear Taf is right. “Thought so. That mask is gathering dust.”
I almost sprain my neck looking at Alistair. “You wear masks during sex?”
“Before, during, after,” Taf says, grinning wildly.
“I’m going to end your fucking life, Taf,” Alistair growls.
I wave my hands around. “Someone give me details!”
“Can I tell her?” Taf asks, almost bouncing in his seat.
Alistair sighs and gives him a wave of approval.
“Denver, did you know Alistair owns a hotel?” I shake my head rapidly.
“It isn’t open for business, though. He keeps it clean and fully furnished, and you could stroll in there tomorrow and be comfortable, but the doors are always locked.
Wanna know why?” Oh my God, do I want to know. “He takes his dates there.”
My eyes widen. “And then what?”
“It’s all pre-agreed,” Taf says, facing me and lowering his voice as if we’re alone, and not that the character in this story is right across from us.
“He takes them there and tells them to hide. They can go to any floor, but only some of the rooms are unlocked. He gives them a head start, then he puts on the mask, and he hunts them.”
My eyes must be saucer like when I look at Alistair. He looks bored, as if he’s hearing a story about someone else.
“You are suddenly so sexy,” I whisper.
JJ cackles. Taf continues, “Last time, he took two women there, and we didn’t see him for three days.”
“What did you do for three days?” I ask quietly.
Alistair taps his finger against the table slowly, honey eyes revealing nothing. “Fucked.”
I fan myself with the magazine. “Good fucking lord. I must be hard up if you’re making me sweat.”
Two hours later, we still haven’t moved.
Heavy snowfall overnight means we’re stuck in the hangar, and most of the commercial flights are grounded, too.
Service is spotty, and I entertain myself by making bracelets.
Another hour passes, and we’re all making bracelets—except for Alistair, who is glaring out of the window.
He’s in a worse mood than usual because Conor Gallagher decided to give out the address of where we had the meeting. It’s something Alistair was prepared for, the home was rented and only used for those meet-ups, but it was a clear message that my mother’s family is out for blood.
“Looky,” I say, waving a yellow and black bracelet to get Alistair’s attention. “Wasp colors for our resident grump.”
He must be fed up, because he doesn’t stop me from tying it around his wrist. While JJ and Taf go to raid the refrigerators, I change seats so I’m across from Alistair. He doesn’t look at me, but he’s fiddling with the bracelet.
“Do you think we have anything in common?”
“No,” he says simply, still not looking at me.
I run my fingertip across the table’s surface, moving around the unused lettered beads. “You never know. One day I might mention having a soft spot for operas, and you could be like, ‘oh wow, me too,’ and then we’re opera buddies.”
“I hate the opera.”
“The opera is beautiful, you monster.”
He slides his gaze to meet mine. “Why are you trying to bond with me?”
“Because maybe someone sent the snow to force us to actually talk. And would it be such a bad thing if we got along? I’m dating your best friend. I love your best friend. We should—”
“You don’t love him, Denver. You don’t even know him.”
My shoulders lower, and I can’t ignore the sting in my chest. “That might be the worst thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“Then I’ll try harder.”
I carefully sweep the bracelet materials aside.
“He played center in hockey in high school, and he tried to get everyone to call him Whiplash because of how quick he was on the ice. Taf called him a loser for it. He met Callie in a bar when they were twenty-one and offered to buy her a drink, and she said that was a weak attempt at flirting, so he bought her the bar instead. He cut up heart-shaped strawberries for Amy to go with her pancakes, and she ate them last because she said they were too pretty. He shaved his beard for Callie because she thought it made him look angry. He loves Casablanca and says Humphrey Bogart is his favorite actor, but he couldn’t name a single other movie he's in.” Alistair watches me as I list off more things I know and love about Colt Harland.
“His lucky number is five because he said it’s the middle child of the top ten, and he feels sorry for it.
He first killed a man when he was fifteen and didn’t sleep for three days. ”
“Okay,” he says. “I see your point.”
“I know you don’t get me, Alistair. I don’t blame you for being suspicious of the woman who appeared one day and never left.
But I didn’t plan on staying here, and I definitely didn’t plan on falling in love with Colt.
I saved his life one day and it led to this, but I don’t regret anything other than not telling him I loved him sooner. ”
Alistair stares at me, his expression a war between understanding and annoyance.
I continue, “I don’t need you to love me. I don’t even really need you to like me. But I need to know that we can spend time together, all of us, and Colt won’t be constantly in the middle of whatever this is.” I wave my hand between us. “He’s been through enough, hasn’t he?”
Things are going to be difficult enough when Colt and Ronan wake up.
The Morellis have fallen quiet when it comes to business, which means we could be on the verge of losing them.
They may not be big-time, but their connections are vital.
War isn’t here, but it’s close, and we don’t need a battle in our home, too.
My focus is Colt and Holly over Alistair, but if I can ease at least one tension in our lives, I’ll do it.
Alistair is about to speak when my phone rings. It’s Antonia.
“Hello?” I say as Alistair returns his attention to the window.
The line is quiet, but a crackle of a voice comes through.
“I can’t hear you. This cell service …” I glance at the screen, the bars on the top right coming in and out.
Placing the phone against my ear again, I say, “Antonia? Are you still there?”
Silence.
Then, “Del?”
The phone almost slips from my hand, and the onslaught of emotions makes me wonder if maybe I’ve fallen asleep, because it can’t be him.
“Colt?”
“And he definitely sounded okay?” Alistair asks for the thousandth time as we sit in never-ending traffic to get home.
“I could hardly hear him,” I admit. “But he said my name. It was definitely him.”
“You’re sure?”
We tried to call back, to get through to the nurse at the house, to anyone, but nothing connected.
The city seems to be in an almost total blackout, but if I’m right, if I didn’t imagine it …
then Colt is awake. After over a week, he’s awake, and I’m sat in fucking traffic, the snow causing countless delays that I am not in the mood for.
I grip the driver’s seat. “Taf, can’t you just drive on the sidewalk?”
He gestures at the cars either side of us. “Do you think we’re in a monster truck?”
“Screw it.” I get out of the car, the cold blasting me, fat snowflakes landing on my coat and hair.
“What are you doing?” Alistair calls out after me.
“I’m not waiting!” I shout back as I break out into a run. Horns blare as I dart across the street, falling onto hoods of taxis, bikes almost colliding with me. I make it to the sidewalk and skid, squeaking as I almost smack into a store wall.
A hand grips mine and yanks me forward. “You’re slow for an actual runner.”
“It’s busy!” I cling to Alistair’s hand as we sprint through the streets, snow melting on my cheeks as he drags me down an alley. “Where are we going?”
“Shortcut!”
I’m glad I wore my sneakers for the long flight I thought we’d be taking, but they’re definitely not designed for running through snow. Alistair is in dress shoes, so a few times he slides, almost losing his grip on me as I squeal and try to keep us on our feet.
When our street comes into view, he releases my hand and I speed ahead, almost missing the steps to the house as I launch myself up them and throw open the door.
Snow follows me in as I call out. “Colt!” I take the stairs two at a time, and his door is already open.
But his bed is empty. Ronan is still sleeping in the one beside it, machines beeping lazily as they keep him breathing.
“Colt?” I check every room before going back down the stairs. The door is still open, flurries of snow getting heavier. “Colt, where are you?”
Antonia is at the end of the hall. She smiles and gestures at the living room, stepping back as I rush past her.
Tears blur the scene in front of me, and I quickly blink them away, not wanting to miss a second of what I’m witnessing.
Lying on the couch, Holly sleeping in his arms, is Colt.
In a gray T-shirt and sweats, he sits in the corner of the U-shaped couch, long legs stretched in front of him, half covered by a blanket. Holly is sprawled on his chest, one small hand gripping his T-shirt, as if she’s afraid he might disappear.
It might be the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, and my legs tremble as Colt locks his eyes on me and smiles. A smile I thought I might never see again.
“You’re awake,” I whisper, kneeling in front of him.
He places his hand on my cheek, his palm warm against my chilled skin, and I’d close my eyes to absorb the feeling if I weren’t so afraid he’d be gone when I opened them again. “I am.” His voice is rough, raw, likely from the tube that’s been in his throat.
Tears flow down my cheeks, and I lean over Holly to kiss him. He cups the back of my head as he holds the kiss for longer, and there’s no describing the way it makes me feel. My heart opens, and the weight of everything I’ve carried is taken away.
“I love you,” I sob. “I love you so much.”
He presses his forehead to mine, and his voice shakes. “I love you.”
Quick footsteps approach, and Alistair appears in the doorway. He’s breathless and grinning. “I’ve never been happier to see your fucking face.”
Colt laughs quietly. “I’ve never been happier to be sat up.” He holds his arm out to me, and I slip off my shoes and take off my coat, curling up on his other side. Holly sleeps soundly against his chest, her face toward me. Her lashes are wet from tears.
“She was okay, seeing you?” I whisper.
Colt nods. “She cried. She was angry. But I guess that’s expected.”
“I’ll make us all a tea,” Antonia says, and she squeezes Colt’s shoulder as she passes. Alistair offers to help and follows her into the kitchen.
Colt gazes down at me and brushes my hair back. “A week.”
“Nine days,” I whisper, fresh tears filling my eyes. “Almost ten.”
Colt pulls my mouth back to his. “But I’m back now.”
Relief sweeps through me, and I return the kiss before cuddling into him again, my other hand stroking Holly’s hair.
I’ve dreamed of this moment. Prayed for it. Of us all together again.
I close my eyes and feel Colt press his lips to my forehead. “I love you, Del.”
My heart leaps as I smile, and I think I say it back before falling into the deepest sleep since I almost lost him.